Tabletop Exercises

Tabletop Exercises involve senior staff, elected or appointed officials, or other key personnel in an informal setting, discussing simulated situations. This type of exercise is intended to stimulate discussion of various issues regarding a hypothetical situation. It can be used to assess plans, policies, and procedures or to assess types of systems needed to guide the prevention of, response to, and recovery from a defined event. TTXs typically are aimed at facilitating understanding of concepts, identifying of strengths and shortfalls, and/or achieving a change in attitude. Participants are encouraged to discuss issues in depth and develop decisions through slow-paced problem solving rather than the rapid, spontaneous decision making that occurs under actual or simulated emergency conditions. In contrast to the scale and cost of operations-based exercises and games, TTXs can be a cost-effective tool when used in conjunction with more complex exercises. The effectiveness of a TTX is derived from the energetic involvement of participants and their assessment of recommended revisions to current policies, procedures, and plans.

TTX methods are divided into two categories: basic and advanced. In a basic TTX, the scene set by the scenario materials remains constant. It describes an event or emergency incident and brings discussion participants up to the simulated present time. Players apply their knowledge and skills to a list of problems presented the leader/moderator, problems are discussed as a group, and resolution is generally agreed on and summarized by the leader. In an advanced TTX, play revolves around delivery of pre-scripted messages to players that alter the original scenario. The exercise controller (moderator) usually introduces problems one at a time in the form of a written message, simulated telephone call, videotape, or other means. Participants discuss the issues raised by the problem, using appropriate plans and procedures.

Our team recently designed and conducted a Tabletop Exercise for the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). This exercise tested the region's response to a large, evolving infectious disease emergency, and provided detailed After Action Reports. The objectives for the exercise were as follows: purpose: clarify local responder roles in a public health emergency, clarify each discipline's roles in isolation and quarantine, clarify each discipline's roles in mass prophylaxis dispensing, demonstrate an understanding of mass prophylaxis dispensing, demonstrate an understanding of prioritization of dispensing SNS materials, and clarify protocol for activating and dispensing local caches of pharmaceuticals.